proletaria journal has published a few pieces of mine. I urge you to not only read them, but to read the ‘about’ section of this new publication. I believe in the niche, as well as, the vision of this publication.
I can’t feel my feet.
They’ve become numb
do to my legs being stretched
straight forward and propped on
our coffee table. I tried to put
them down to regain feeling,
but when I attempted to do so
Gavin said, “Feet back up, please.”
So back up they went and there they stayed.
The days of Gavin sitting on my lap, on a cold New England morning with a blanket draped over us, are numbered.
How can I write an article on a movie I haven’t seen?
Easy.
It’s like this for me. Sometimes something will happen and instantly you realize life changed. How large or small the change isn’t the point. It’s the knowing of the change that is. And that’s what happened to me when I watched the trailer. My life changed.
I didn’t just enjoy the trailer. I was blown away. I was so blown away that I immediately contacted home-town friends asking if they might be able to connect me with the Director, Robert Krzykowski, aka -Bob. K. His creative genius slapped my face. I literally wanted to flip a table and run through a wall.
Bob, was gracious enough to communicate with me and provide an in depth piece of information concerning the thought process on a portion of the film.
Bob’s exceptional ability to utilize out of the box thinking has captured my imagination in a way that hasn’t happened since the first time that I read Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises.
Much of this movie was filmed in the town that I graduated high school from. One specific spot in the trailer was shot from the vantage point where I taught my younger brother how to shoot a rifle. In this shot you will see a towering bridge that has been destroyed. I asked Bob a direct question about that.
MATT: When you filmed the Gill to Erving Bridge, what were your thoughts?
BOB K: As a young man, Calvin Barr-played in two timelines by Sam Elliott (1987) and Aidan Turner (1940’s)-tracked Hitler across Europe until he caught up with the dictator and assassinated him in a manor that was occupied by Nazi high command. It is later explained that our history was not altered by this killing, but I won’t spoil how that works here.
In the film, the French King Bridge (among many Western MA locations) is briefly featured when Barr needs a peasant ferryman to escort him across a river because the Nazis were destroying bridges for tactical advantage in the war. In this shot, the French King Bridge is visibly destroyed with dangling train cars and twisted wreckage in the river with the help of a VFX matte painting by Mark Sullivan-who did key visual effects for the original ‘Robocop’, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’, and ‘Apocalypto’. As a lifelong resident, I’ve always felt that bridge had a dramatic quality to it, and wanted to feature it as a fantastic element in the WWII section of the film. I look forward to seeing it back to normal again the next time I go fishing with Jon Hall. Correction. I’ll get some nibbles, and Jon will catch all the fish…
-Bob K.
I enjoy giving credit where credit is due. I don’t know Bob personally, but he was good enough to gift me a direct statement. Here’s a specific reason why I believe Bob is a genius at his craft.
In the trailer you will see a fight scene. Keep in mind, I know Turners Fall very well. I know the region. It lives within me. And within all of its people. There is a toughness and grit to the people of the region that I believe is unique. Back to the scene- A man is being robbed. He gives his wallet. But as soon as a memory is destroyed, one he’ll no longer be able to feel in a tangible way, he was forced to again be what he no longer wished to be. Much like in the movie, Unforgiven. Sam Elliot performed this scene so well that I felt I knew him because I have been that man. And I don’t mean I felt I knew Sam. I mean I knew the man holding back knowing what he can do and knowing he cannot. And Bob captured this sentiment on a level that is abnormal and outstanding.
I am not saying, or assuming, this fight scene has anything to do with Turners Falls. However, the pride that it will bring, we will happily feel. I love Turners Falls and Gill. Even though I am no longer living there, I will always be a Gill-Billy.
The town thrived with excitement when the filming was taking place. Finally, someone took notice of it’s beauty. Thank you, Bob. What you’ve done is one hell of an accomplishment. I can only imagine the amount of determination you leveraged to make this come to fruition.
I purposefully watched the trailer only one time. I’m about to watch it again. And when I watch the movie, I hope there’s a table and wall.
-Matt
ps, Years ago my older brother and I were kayaking on the Connecticut River in New Hampshire. Chris caught a large mouth bass. I watched. A boat hummed along, passed us, and came back. “Matt? Is that you?” Jon asked. Jon is a beast of a man who seems to enjoy water and likes to fish. I wonder if he’s in the movie. I’m not sure.
I’ve been nominated for Author of the Year on Spillwords. Spillwords is a fantastic platform for authors to submit and share their writings. Their team is incredible at matching imagery with your words.
If you enjoy my writing, I’d like to invite you to vote for me.
Thanks everyone. And keep an eye out for my next post. I was lucky enough to receive a direct quote from the Director of the soon to be released movie, The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot. I’ll be writing an article about the trailer and publishing that here on WordPress.
Is it time, finally, to acknowledge
continuous attempts to halt societal
cognitive abilities with silicone like layers-
Or is it more likely that a singular mind
would rather walk alone on a beach
feeling the warmth of the sand pushing between their toes while listening to the rhythmic crashing of the waves.
It’s a dark, rainy day in New England.
I rather enjoy it, and I think when Gavin
wakes from his nap that I’ll bundle him up
and take us for a simple drive on some
old dirt road so that he can enjoy it too.
Some nights are different than others.
I try and watch them all.
And I try to remember as much as I can about them.
I hope they watch me too.
I’m not sure if it works like that.
Besides, who am I to know,
when knowing so little about
everything is still an awful lot to
think about.
mtaggartwriter 